About

BUREAU of CREATIVE WORKS

$23,231

pledged of $22,725 goal

333

backers

WHAT YOU'RE FUNDING

You're helping 12 different filmmakers create 12 original short films over the following year.

80% of the funds go directly towards the production budgets, the other 20% is split between Kickstarter / Amazon / VHX fees, and then operating cost, ie, The BUREAU helping to promote and distribute these films to you, the supporters!

THE FILMS & ALL THAT COMES WITH THEM

As a backer, you might be most excited about the 12 short films — which we can understand — but!, your support also gives you access to materials created throughout each film’s production, things like: storyboards, scripts, behind the scenes footage, insight into a range of low-budget filmmaking techniques, etc.

WHY THE BUREAU IS IMPORTANT

“Artists shouldn’t be making art on the side, it should be their job. We need to re-train audiences who’ve grown used to the free YouTube model that shorts are worth paying for.”

The above quote is from the immensely talented Don Hertzfeldt, director of ‘World of Tomorrow’ and 'It's Such a Beautiful Day', and we’re sharing it here because it so perfectly articulates the sentiment and ambitions behind The BUREAU.

From an audience perspective: we’re bringing together a highly engaged community of people who love unique stories, and, most importantly, a community that doesn't simply curate the hard-work of other artists after-the-fact, but instead, a community that directly contributes to the earliest stages of creative work.

From a filmmaker perspective: we’re creating a consistent and flexible platform that supports unique short films. Short films that otherwise might never exist. Not only is this platform ongoing, it directly connects filmmakers with their audience.

SELECTED FILMMAKERS

To best highlight each filmmaking team, we'll be making announcements every three days (during the life of this campaign) about the filmmakers that have been selected, and why their work is so exciting.

In the meantime, we've added everyone involved with The BUREAU to a list on twitter :) Be sure to follow all of these amazing filmmakers.

One other note: you may have noticed that we've only selected 10 out of the 12 filmmakers at this stage, meaning we’ve intentionally left 2 spots open for submissions. If you’re a filmmaker with an idea for a short film, you can learn how to be a part of The BUREAU here.

YEAR ONE, THEN THE FUTURE

Our goal is to make The BUREAU self-sustaining by end of 2016, but to get this project fully on its feet, we need a year's worth of runway. This campaign secures 12 months of production budgets for the 12 selected filmmakers.

ALL OR NOTHING

Rather than relying on outside investments, we want The BUREAU to remain fully independent. Our primary focus is finding emerging filmmakers and helping them to create a story in their own voice.

As the number of supporters grows, so do the production budgets for each filmmaker. To get started we've set the minimum production budget at $1,500 for each short film. With hopes that the budgets will grow closer to $3,000, either via this campaign exceeding its funding goal, or over time through post-campaign subscribers.

WHAT THE BUREAU DOES

The BUREAU has long list of responsibilities, all of which we take quite seriously - this project connects audiences with filmmakers, and we’ve gone to great lengths to ensure that relationship is a healthy and exciting one for everyone involved.

Seek out talented filmmakers. Bring together a highly engaged audience. Provide financial support for filmmakers to produce original short films. Distribute these films directly to supporters (subscribers). Highlight the importance and value in supporting creative work. Provide 'a safe place to build' for filmmakers. In other words, we aren't giving notes, we aren’t tweaking ideas.
We provide the financial means and the creative-cover for filmmakers to make truly original and unique short films. Helping filmmakers take risk they might not otherwise be able to take.

THE REWARDS

Each backer will be mailed their very own AGENT button, with a unique sequentially-assigned AGENT number.

It is only because of you that these short films are possible, and even beyond that fact, these short films are being made specifically for you as an audience. You'll have early and exclusive access to the premiere of each new short film, plus:

With each new short film comes the story behind the film - the production notes, interviews, discussions around the ideas and approach to producing low-budget short films.

Note: In approaching each filmmaker, we did so only based-off their past work. This project is, as mentioned, a place to experiment and create ideas that otherwise never might be made. As a result, not all of the featured filmmakers know exactly what their short films will be at this time, but some do, and you will see that reflected in the filmmaker-specific rewards above. Some rewards are more related to the filmmakers, while some rewards are tied directly to the films themselves.

WHO WE ARE

Erica Hampton -Project Director
-
Erica co-founded The BUREAU to help
spark a much-needed conversation
around the value of short films and
the importance of supporting the
artists behind them.
In 2012, she produced her first
feature documentary, For Thousands
of Miles. A genre-bending project
selected by IFP for a year long Labs
program. It was here, during her
time in NYC, alongside so many other
amazing, independent filmmakers,
that an interest in building a
better support system around indie
films took root.

Mike Ambs - Co-Founder & Strategy - Mike has an obsessive interest in the relationships between technology and filmmaking, alternative distribution strategies, and independent creators. A self-taught filmmaker whose work and experience ranges from stopmotion animation, to documentary, VR narratives, and RGBd. As a co-founder, Mike believes deeply in the importance of open collaboration, artistic freedom, and direct access between audience and filmmaker.

WAYS TO FOLLOW THE BUREAU

Tweet at us and say hello. We share lots of images and videos from our filmmakers on our Instagram. Tell your Mom about us on Facebook.

During the life of this project we will record audio updates, documenting the cultural and conversational-shift around the importance of short films and the people behind them.

.

Risks and challenges

The BUREAU is an ambitious undertaking -- we are organizing the support structure for twelve independent, low-budget short films, by award winning filmmakers spread out all over the world -- it won't be easy.

Each of the involved filmmakers have years of experience with creating and following through on a production -- and we, as The BUREAU, have gone to great efforts to provide a supportive environment to allow each of these talented storytellers to do what they do best.

Support

Select this reward

Pledge $1 or more
About $1.00

TIME CAPSULE. First of all, thank you for supporting The BUREAU. To commemorate our inaugural year, your name and a message of your choice will be printed and sealed in a special time capsule, buried in a TBD location for the following 5 years.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $15 or more
About $15

Carry all your important AGENT stuff in a handy TOTE BAG of change + access to the very 1st short film released through The BUREAU. Plus access to all backer updates, which include production notes and interviews.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $20 or more
About $20

Become an AGENT of change. You will have access to the first 6 short films released through The BUREAU. Plus access to all backer updates, interviews, extras - as well as a sequentially-assigned AGENT #, presented to you as an artfully designed button.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $30 or more
About $30

Carry all your important AGENT stuff in a handy TOTE BAG of change + access to the first 6 short films released through The BUREAU. Plus access to all backer updates, interviews, extras - as well as a sequentially-assigned AGENT #, presented to you as an artfully designed button.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $35 or more
About $35

Become an AGENT of change. You will have access to all 12 short films. That's an entire year's worth of independent filmmaking! You'll be introduced to a new creative voice each month. Plus access to BTS, production notes, and interviews. Not bad at $3 a month. You'll also be mailed your very own AGENT button, with your unique sequentially-assigned AGENT number.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $45 or more
About $45

Carry all your important AGENT stuff in a handy TOTE BAG of change + access to all 12 short films. That's an entire year's worth of independent filmmaking! You'll be introduced to a new creative voice each month. Plus access to BTS, production notes, and interviews. Not bad at $3 a month. You'll also be mailed your very own AGENT button, with your unique sequentially-assigned AGENT number.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $50 or more
About $50

DANIEL CARBONE. Music plays a big role in filmmaking, especially during the early creative process. Gain exclusive access to a special Spotify playlist from Daniel. Plus all 12 short films and everything that comes with them!

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $75 or more
About $75

ELENA ROSSINI. A photo of Elena's thank you note in a beautiful place in Paris. Shared electronically, or Instagrammed, and then sent via snail mail. Plus all 12 short films and everything that comes with them!

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $75 or more
About $75

OAKLEY ANDERSON-MOORE. "I claim this martian rock in the name of.." Oakley will be exploring new worlds in her short film, and your name will be forever be associated with a distant rock in a barren landscape somewhere far, far away. Carefully documented and shared on Instagram. Plus all 12 short films and everything that comes with them!

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $75 or more
About $75

BRITTANY "B.MONET" FENNELL. You will receive a deleted scene (from Brittany's short film) and a special note just for you, as well as access to all 12 short films and everything that goes along with them.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $75 or more
About $75

ALEX MALLIS. An in person (NYC) or Skype (UNIVERSE) coffee with Alex Mallis, where you can absorb all his 8mm or digital wisdom, whether it's technical advice, feedback on your project, or anything that you two decide is acceptable conversation. Plus all 12 short films and everything that comes with them!

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $125 or more
About $125

DOSSIER // YEAR ONE. Top-secret, for AGENTS only. A collection of script excerpts, semi-redacted storyboards, filmmaker bios, and interview documentation on the first 12 short films. Printed, collected, and mailed straight to your door. Plus a handful of printed photographs from on-set, BUREAU stickers, and whatever else we can fit into a case-folder. Plus, of course, all 12 short films and everything that comes with them!

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $500 or more
About $500

FILM SOCIETY SUBSCRIPTION // Screen any (or all) of the 12 short films to your members for the entire year. Plus, at least three of our incredible filmmakers will join you (in person or over Skype) for a Q&A with audience members. Plus, The BUREAU will mail you our #indiefilm tote bag and a special filmmakers dossier for you to keep on file.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $750 or more
About $750

OAKLEY ANDERSON-MOORE You can also become an Associate Producer on Oakley's original short sci-fi film. Plus an alien rock named in your honor, and all 12 short films and everything that comes with them! You will also accompany Oakley as a guest at the premiere of her film.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $1,000 or more
About $1,000

PRESENTATION AT YOUR ORGANIZATION // Ani Simon-Kennedy & Cailin Yatsko will give a presentation + Q&A at your organization (NY based only) + Screen any (or all) of the 12 short films to your members for the entire year. Plus, The BUREAU will mail you our #indiefilm tote bag and a special filmmakers dossier for you to keep on file.